


All That's Hidden

by Monsterbash4



Series: Forever [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alone, Attempted Kidnapping, Character Death, Control Freak - Freeform, Death, Immortality, Introversion, Introverted, Isolation, Manipulation, Misery, Murder, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Original Female Character, Sadness, Wrongful Imprisonment, butthead brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22639864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monsterbash4/pseuds/Monsterbash4
Summary: Her escape was necessary, the only option, and effectively erased all knowledge of her existence to the world as time passed. When strangers come to her island, and one particularly annoying individual starts getting curious about the land (and her), what will become of it all?------------------All characters and places are original. The story belongs entirely to me. Please do not copy my work.------------------Names and places are completely fictional, any and all connection to real life people and/or places are completely coincidental.**slow updates**
Series: Forever [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628641
Comments: 1





	1. Prologue

Solid wood surrounded the young woman on all sides, the rough surface pressing firmly against her back, the splinters entered her skin through small prickles of pain as a result, all of which seemed not to bother her. Her attention was focused on the most recent events, remembering the bushes around her home as she brushed against them, causing the tatters and tearing on the hem of the flimsy cotton nightgown, her only protection in her rushed escape from the old, isolated building that she had once called home. The gown had been protection that was necessary at the time for both the terrain that she had to dash through as well as the hateful words that spewed from the mouths of the infuriated mass of people.

Screams seemed to echo in the distance, exclamations of anger and frustration from hunters and townsfolk alike, unable to find their targeted prey. Overcome with fear, her panic easily read within her eyes as creaks of wood indicated footsteps above her hiding place. Any moment could be my last, all for some stupid thing that no one should ever have known. She berated herself for allowing what should have been a simple screw up to evolve into the mess that it had now become.

"That abomination has defied the will of God! We know it has been here, that you have played the part of its friend, so give it up now!" The words had been spoken previously to the group that waited down below.

I had nothing to do with that! This entire thing is new to me, too! Her head shook back and forth, as though her thoughts could be communicated through the simple motion, as though she could persuade the townsfolk in such a manner. However, that would never happen, and she knew it.

"We had it in the house, tried to talk it out, but the creature lashed out, killing Daniel for no reason, and ran." That wasn't true. Flashes of memories entered her mind, waking to a hand pressing in on her throat, effectively cutting off an air supply that she hadn’t known was unnecessary, dull-gray eyes glaring down, malicious intent apparent as the sharpened blade of a hunting knife punctured the left side of her torso, just below the last rib. She was so absorbed in her most recent memories that she failed to notice the stampede of boots stomping off the ship in response to the words of the captain, resembling a fit thrown by a toddler that didn’t get their way.

She did, however, notice the rushed footsteps that headed in her direction; her body curled in on itself as though trying to shrink even further, muscles tensing in a near-fetal position with her eyes squeezed tightly. The door opened with a prolonged creak and a thud as it hit the adjacent wall with force. The faint heat of a lantern was enough to clue her in to the presence by her side. That, and the hand that fell on her neck, causing her to flinch.

"Whatever led up to his death, I'm sure he deserved everything that came to him. Don't ever blame yourself for reacting in self-defense.” The lantern was placed on the floor and his, now, free hand raised to cut off the protest that was sure to come as her mouth began to open. He continued, “Even if the effects aren't the same for you, it would still hurt like hell, I'm sure."

“Thank you, Christopher,” came out as a whisper, hardly with the appropriate volume to be able to hear. He was close enough, thankfully, to register the gratitude within her voice. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her to his side as she looked up, giving a weak smile to the man who had just saved her life, who she'd known just as long as the rest of the village, yet somehow behaved much differently than the rest of them. She felt tears escaping her eyes, rolling down her face and landing on his shirt. He cleared his throat abruptly, waiting for her to calm down and give him her full attention.

"You know that Mary always had a soft spot for you, and I'm no different. It would be a disgrace to tarnish our memories with her, to tarnish the memory of her by behaving in such a manner as them. She's watching over us both now, but you were always her favorite." With a little chuckle, he hugged her tighter.

"I've caused you enough pain to last more than a lifetime, just by befriending you. No apology I could give would ever feel like enough-" A shaky exhale left her, her breath obviously coming painfully as her chest heaved with the effort.

“I know what you’re thinking, and I’m telling you to stop. My wife’s fate was known to be a possibility, in her mind as well as mine. We knew what could happen, so I know she’d be pleased that I could get you out of their grasp.” The tears cascaded down her face.

“Yeah, but it-” her breathy voice hitched with the sadness that threatened to overwhelm her, the guilt that she held on her shoulders.

“-doesn’t change anything,” he finished for her. “I know that, too. However, Mary wanted you to live, not just survive. She gave her life for that reason. If Mary deemed you worthy, then you are as she says.” She laughed, the memory of the little spit-fire brunette coming to mind for both of them. The only solution to this problem entered only moments after, stilling the laughter just to tinge the smile with sorrow. I know what must be done.

“Then, my friend,” she avoided his eyes, knowing what she’d find as he listened intently. “It’s time for me to make a life elsewhere. Somewhere that hardly anyone will be able to find me.” The start that was necessary to end the trail of pain and suffering that she knew she’d caused.


	2. I

The distant echo of screams within nightmares faded into the high-pitched chirps of reality, the birds greeting the morning light as it washed over the dense foliage of the woods. The sun beams breached the leaves in dappled lighting that dotted the forest floor, highlighting the emerging wildlife, the waking population of the island. The night, the shroud of darkness, receded as the blazing sun rose higher in the sky; the reach of the light fell just short of a small, overgrown home, covered in ivy, shaded by trees, surrounded by fungus, completely enveloped in a murky gloom.

A muted creaking noise sounded from within the desolate building, movement within the windows followed. It was just a blur of an image, a hazy figure passing by the only window on the building, however dirt-encrusted it was. Long, dark hair and a short stature was all that could be made out. The door made no sound as it cracked open, the figure from before making its way out of the darkness.

The being was small, short and slight, but most features were concealed by a large, dull green, hooded cloak. The figure was distinctly female, and the face was exposed to any onlookers for only a moment, long enough to make out long, brown hair that was put up into a braided bun, and blue-silver eyes that gleamed. Her hands reached back to draw up the hood, concealing herself from anything that could be watching. Brown, muddied shoes peeked out from the bottom of the draping cloth. They were old, worn leather that had definitely seen better days, but they seemed to be well taken care of as no holes could be seen. There were no tears in the cloak either; the hem was high enough to avoid dragging across the ground, untouched by the stray twigs and overgrown bushes that reached up from the ground.

As the woman emerged in the light, a bow that was wrapped around her torso and a quiver of arrows were illuminated. Glints of silver glimmered from within the cloak, catching the sunlight just right. A smooth, pale hand emerged from the dull green, pulling the ends of the fabric further closed, shielding the sheathed metal from the light.

She stilled, frozen in place, as she observed her surroundings. The chirping had halted, not a flutter of wings were heard in the trees, even the slight scratching of talons on the overhanging branches had been muted. Silence was normal when she exited the safety of her  _ very  _ humble abode, however, this was not the right type of silence; normal was quiet with an overlying sense of peace, but this had a tangible feeling of tension, of apprehension. Needless to say, it was unnerving.

She knew better than to ignore her gut feelings, as they had never proven themselves wrong, but she shook her head and continued on. Her food storages were getting low, the empty pouches dangling at her side were a constant reminder, and that was priority number 1. Though the island was plentiful most of the time, the vegetation went through states of flux every so often, leaving her to depend on the local wildlife. Skills that she hadn’t known prior to her arrival on the island, such as fishing, and woodworking (and the occasional thievery from docking ships), became things that she was required to learn for her own survival. She liked to keep herself nicely stocked when it came to food and water, as she wasn’t the only one consuming it all. There was always one form of competition or another.

Adjusting to the light breaching the treetops took a moment, but, soon enough, she unhunched from her position and began walking further away from the entrance of her home.

“Let’s see what we can get today.” She was hoping for an easy day, meaning that the prey would be easy to spot and kill, and that the fruit on the trees was plentiful. It would save her the hassle of crossing the island. 

By the time any interruption came, she had already caught a few squirrels and was aiming for another. As stated previously, she really didn’t need much.

The crack of a twig made her body freeze, her head swiveling around to stare in the direction it came from. Her bow was drawn with an arrow before she could blink, but she relaxed the bowstring as soon as she saw the culprit.

A large head with pointed ears and an elongated snout appeared from behind the nearest shrubbery. She wasn’t scared, really. It was more of the case that she didn’t see much wildlife, despite living on the island for however many years it’d been. The animals tended to stay as far away from her as they could. For as long as she could remember, that had always been the case. It was alarming before she actually realized the reason.

“Hey buddy. Long time no see,” she spoke without changing her expression, resuming walking forward with a nod to the wolf. It let out a huff, followed by a snort: the typical greeting. This beast of a dog, wolf, whatever, could probably knock her over with as little as an exhale, yet it had treated her as a threat at the very beginning. Unfortunately, all the animals saw her this way, and the only reason any of them change their minds is when she saves one. Granted the huge creature in front of her was the only case she had to show for that assumption.

“If you’re going to follow me everywhere, do you mind not scaring the crap out of me?” She said this lightly, like a not-really-complaining complaint. She knew there wasn’t really a point in complaining to an animal that couldn’t respond. It snorted at her again, and she just rolled her eyes. It pressed its nose against her pant leg, and her hand scratched the back of its ear roughly.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re cute. You have been forgiven.” She paused. She knew that food was important, but her curiosity was also overwhelming. “Know what’s going on? The woods have been strangely silent this morning.” The wolf flipped its head towards the far-side of the island.  _ Great. Exactly where I didn’t want to go _ . She thought about heading over to investigate, but knew she needed to finish her morning task.

“We’ll head over after I’ve prepared the meat. Let’s go back to the house.”

** * **

After the meat was set to dry, completely cured, she had made her way over to the opposite side of her world, but she didn’t like what she saw. She was frozen within the tree’s canopy, just watching.

Distant shouting could be heard, pulling her out of her trance-like state of observation. One hand immediately reached upwards to pull the hood further over her face, and then secured the fastening at her neck. She stared in the direction of the shouting, pulling her bow free of her body, dropping into a crouch as she focused on the source. She understood the words, but why were they here?

“The pathway needs to be cleared enough for them to make it to the house. Why hasn’t it been done yet?” There was a pause, but no one spoke up in response. “They’ll be arriving soon! Get to it!” was followed by a murmured, “Imbecile.” The man speaking had a low, gravelly voice, As the woman moved slightly, she could see that he was obviously fit, but not overly built, and was definitely taller than her. He had light hair, a cross between brown and blonde, and his skin was slightly tanned, as though he’d been in the sun for a while. His face had no blemishes other than a thick, pale scar across his left temple, and his light brown eyes looked cold and dead.  _ Something doesn’t seem right _ , she shook away the thought, deeming it unimportant for the time being, but filing the feeling away to investigate later.

“The ship is on the horizon!” Everyone collectively looked to the sea, spotting the blob of brown in the distance. The afternoon sun allowed for clear visibility.

“You four!” The first man pointed to a group of men, all of similar ages. “Work on clearing the pathway. It needs to be done quickly, before the king arrives!” Three of them nodded, the other boredly staring off into the woods, before setting off to work immediately.

The woman moved farther back within the trees as soon as she heard the word ‘King’. There was nothing good associated with that word.

“The rest of you, fetch the carriage! You don’t expect them to walk to the house once they get here do you? That’s reserved only for you!”  _ That’s a bit rude _ , the woman thought.  _ He must be a noble of some sort _ . She tilted her head, watching him for a moment.  _ Or one of the higher ranked captains _ . Not much time seemed to pass before the ship anchored, sending off a couple boats, one loaded with stuff and the other with five individuals.

She stopped focusing on the workmen at the shore, and honed in on the people simply in the boat, two rowing and three talking idly.

Their words couldn’t be made out from the distance, but the oldest-looking man had graying-brown hair, and a white-speckled beard. His skin was slightly wrinkled, but not from age. The scowl he held on his face was most likely the culprit, along with the heavy, golden crown that pushed down on the skin of his forehead, creating creases that seemed permanent. His clothes were a vibrant green with a patterned, miniscule, white symbol. He was clearly the king.

The second man, who was chatting with the king, had black hair, and his skin was young and unblemished. However charming, there was a weird feeling the woman got from him, too. His posture was relaxed, but his mouth was curved into a suspicious smirk, his eyes gleaming with something strange.  _ That doesn’t bode well for anyone, _ the woman thought. His clothes were of the same fabric as the king’s, but a saturated blue instead of green. The same symbols were present, but there was more floof in his clothing than the king’s. The thinner, golden band around his head revealed his status of ‘prince’, if the way he held himself didn’t give it away.

The third took a while for the woman to spot, as he was a great deal smaller than the other two. A boy, who couldn’t have been older than 4, sat with his, assumed, family. Whether he was the son of the king or the son of the prince was unclear, but the childish youth gave away the innocence he had to the world around him. Just as it should be.

A newly built house and arriving royalty only spelled out trouble for the young woman, but it was unclear as to how. The only thing that was certain in her mind was that she would need to pay close attention to them for the duration of their stay on the island.  _ History cannot repeat itself. _

She retreated further within the dense forest canopy. Her browns and deep greens camouflaged her entire body within the leaves. With the amount of people present, she knew that keeping silent and remaining hidden were the two most important objectives. She knew how badly people tended to react to her, as countless years prior to the island would prove. In order to ensure that she remained hidden, to make sure that they wouldn’t wander anywhere near her, she resolved to follow them from the moment they arrived on the island to the moment they hid themselves within the safety of their home. If there was any detour, she needed to be ready.

There was a lot of uncertainty in this new development, but one thing was for sure: she couldn’t afford to be found.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real work, and I have rewritten it countless times. There will be slow updates, but when I do update, it will be the best version of the chapter that I can make. Thank you for reading!


End file.
